Lead Technical Artist

Placements24; Vereeniging; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Training opportunities

Career growth

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Lead Technical Artist to bridge art and engineering for our mobile game projects in Vereeniging. You will shape art pipelines, optimize workflows, and provide technical support to artists across the team.

You will lead shader creation, engine integration, and performance optimization, mentoring junior artists while collaborating with engineers to push real-time graphics on mobile platforms.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience as a Technical Artist in mobile game development.
• Strong knowledge of at least one major engine (Unity or Unreal).
• Expertise in shader development (HLSL/GLSL) and material creation.
• Proficiency in Python, C#, or MEL scripting.
• Experience with asset modeling, texturing, and animation tools.
• Understanding of rendering pipelines and mobile memory/perf optimization.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain art pipelines and tools for asset creation and integration.
• Optimize art assets (models, textures, materials, VFX) for mobile performance.
• Create and manage shaders, materials, and lighting in the engine.
• Guide and support the art team, debugging asset/engine issues.
• Collaborate with engineers to implement new engine features.
• Research new technologies to improve art quality and performance.
• Define and enforce art standards and best practices.
• Mentor junior technical artists.
• Analyze performance data to identify optimization opportunities.
• Contribute to the game's technical and artistic direction.

Skills

Technical Art

Game Engines

Shader Development

Scripting Languages

3D Modeling

Performance Optimisation

Mentoring / Leadership

Tools

Maya

3ds Max

Blender

Substance Suite

Job description

About the Role

Our client is a premier developer of cutting-edge mobile games, renowned for their innovative gameplay and stunning visuals. We are seeking a highly experienced Lead Technical Artist to join our core development team in Vereeniging . This pivotal role bridges the gap between art and engineering, ensuring that our artistic vision is realized efficiently and effectively within technical constraints. You will be instrumental in developing and maintaining art pipelines, optimizing workflows, and providing technical support to the art team. This position requires a deep understanding of game engines, shaders, scripting, and asset optimization. If you are a problem-solver with a passion for enabling artists and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in real-time graphics, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain art pipelines and tools to streamline asset creation and integration.
• Optimize art assets (models, textures, materials, VFX) for performance across various mobile platforms.
• Create and manage shaders, materials, and lighting setups within the game engine.
• Provide technical guidance and support to the art team, troubleshooting issues related to art assets and engine integration.
• Collaborate with engineers to implement new engine features and workflows.
• Research and implement new technologies and techniques to improve art quality and performance.
• Define and enforce art standards and best practices.
• Mentor and guide junior technical artists.
• Analyze performance data and identify areas for optimization.
• Contribute to the overall technical and artistic direction of the game.

Requirements

• Minimum of 6 years of experience as a Technical Artist in the game development industry, with experience on mobile titles.
• Strong proficiency in at least one major game engine (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine).
• Expertise in shader development (HLSL/GLSL), material creation, and optimization.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, C#, or MEL.
• Experience with 3D modeling, texturing, and animation software (e.g., Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Substance Suite).
• Deep understanding of rendering pipelines, memory management, and performance optimization techniques for mobile devices.
• Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration abilities, with the capacity to work effectively with both artists and engineers.
• Experience leading or mentoring technical art teams is highly desirable.
• A portfolio showcasing relevant technical art work, tools, and optimizations is required.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, and a retirement savings plan for employees in Vereeniging . We provide ample opportunities for professional growth, including access to training, conferences, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions. Employees benefit from a dynamic and collaborative work culture, with opportunities for career advancement within a growing studio. Join our team and play a key role in shaping the visual future of mobile gaming.